Research in Community and Public Health Nursing

Original Articles

[Korean] A History of Korean Nurses’ Efforts to Define Their Scope of Practice and Secure Their Rights: Focusing on the 1969 ‘Busanjin Health Center Injection Incident’: Hae Ri Lee, Kyujin Choi; Res Community Public Health Nurs. 2026;37(2):190-199. Published online June 30, 2026; DOI: https://doi.org/10.12799/rcphn.2025.01466

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Abstract PDF: Purpose
This study examines how nurses’ scope of practice was constructed through legal and sociopolitical processes in Korea, focusing on the 1969 “Busanjin Health Center Injection Incident.”
Methods
By examining court rulings, newspaper articles, healthcare and labor documents from the time, this research analyzes the background, sociopolitical context, and societal impact of the incident.
Results
At the time, nurses’ injection practices were widely performed but not clearly defined within the ambiguous legal category of ‘assistance in medical treatment.’ The incident brought this ambiguity into public and legal dispute, making nurses’ scope of practice a visible issue. Nurses’ collective action, particularly the refusal to administer injections, functioned as a critical mechanism that prompted renewed deliberation and contributed to the reconstruction of nurses’ scope of practice.
Conclusion
These findings suggest that nurses’ scope of practice, previously lacking clear legal definition, became socially visible through the incident and was subsequently reconstructed through practice and collective action. This case highlights that nurses’ scope of practice is not fixed by formal regulation but emerges through the interaction between practice and social context, with implications for understanding nurses’ scope of practice in the context of integrated care.

[Korean] Institutionalization of Visiting Nursing Services Provided By Public Health Centers and the Formation of Employment Structures for Visiting Nurses, 1990–2012: Yeon Yi Song, Dahye Jeong; Res Community Public Health Nurs. 2026;37(2):152-165. Published online June 30, 2026; DOI: https://doi.org/10.12799/rcphn.2025.01333

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Abstract PDF: Purpose
This study aims to examine the history of visiting nursing services at Korean public health centers from 1990 to 2012 in Korea’s historical and institutional context.
Methods
We collected and analyzed materials from metropolitan/provincial archives; government policy documents; guidelines and reports from the Korea Health Industry Development Institute and Korea Health Promotion Institute; newspapers; the Public Health Nursing Newsletter(Bogeon Ganho Sosik); and memoirs of public health center nurses.
Results
Visiting nursing was formalized in the 1990s through Seoul pilot projects and took root as a public health service focused on low-income populations. After the 1997–1998 financial crisis of Korea, a public-works–based visiting nursing project expanded and standardized services nationwide but entrenched a short-term, low-wage employment structure. Driven by Health Plan 2010(HP2010), established in 2002, the 2005 Urban Visiting Health Pilot Project, and the 2007 Customized Visiting Health Care Services, the program’s target population and workforce expanded markedly, and nationwide implementation began. In the early 2000s, guidelines and training materials were developed and the Field Management Training Program(FMTP) was introduced, strengthening professional capacity; however, establishing sustainable regular staffing and a stable training system remained limited.
Conclusion
Between the 1990s and 2012, visiting nursing at public health centers became institutionalized and expanded into a nationwide, routine program, accompanied by changes in program nomenclature, staffing standards, and delivery modalities. Maintaining visiting nursing as a core universal service of public health centers requires public systems that foster the accumulation of visiting nurses’ professional expertise and reflect the value of care.

[Korean] Korea’s First Manual of Public Health Nursing: A Foundation for Public Health Nursing Practice in Korea: Junho Jung, Kyunghee Yi; Res Community Public Health Nurs. 2025;36(3):245-256. Published online September 30, 2025; DOI: https://doi.org/10.12799/rcphn.2025.01102

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Abstract PDF: Purpose
This study aims to understand the functions and roles of public health nursing, which played a key role in public health center activities during the formative years of the organizations in Korea. It does so by analyzing the structure and content of Manual of Public Health Nursing, the first of its kind published in Korea, as well as its authors’ records—particularly the U.S. nurse advisors. Methods: Manual of public health nursing was investigated from the cover to the appendix with other related records from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Results: The manual was published in response to the expansion of health centers and the increasing need for standardized practice for public health nurses. It includes theoretical and practical guidelines on maternal and child health, communicable disease control, school health, health education, etc. as well as the qualifications of public health nurses. The manual was influenced by U.S. nursing education and international public health manuals. Conclusion: The manual played a critical role in shaping early public health nursing practices in Korea by providing essential knowledge and standardizing public health services. It reflected Korea’s evolving public health system, heavily influenced by U.S. aid and technical assistance. Despite its significance, challenges such as a shortage of trained public health nurses and an underdeveloped administrative structure remained unresolved.

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